Efficaciousness Of School Districts Websites/BLOG 2

After perusing several school districts websites I decided to do a comparative content assessment. All of these sites were relatively good. I weighted my assessment on presentation and layout. I noticed that some were more esthetically pleasing than others but came up short on content. I will proceed with elaborating on the first website that had the most relevant content and the last one having the least. All of these schools were listed by US Census from the lowest DFG(District Factor Group) A, the highest being J. I decided to use the middle, which would be CD and FG.

The first of the districts websites was Hamiliton Township Schools. The content of this website wasn't the most aesthetic, however the ease of finding relevant information was commendable. This site in my opinion was the best of them all. The tabs were boldly labeled and I was able to find all the information that would be important to the students as well as the parents. The most noticeable subcategories under the "Parental Information" are the following; Important Policies and School to Parent Initiative.What was there not to like about this site. I found it rather awkward that they had a category for teacher evaluations. It only detailed standards by which teachers and staff were evaluated.

The second district website was Bayonne Board of Education. This DFG was also in the CD category. This site had a tab labeled "Parental Resources" and it had relevant information from the schools breakfast and lunch menu, national math standards to parent notification. I think they should have included information about school policies. What not to like about this site? This site was planned well and relevant information was strategically placed, however in my opinion wasn't able to navigate with as much ease as Hamilton Townships site.

The third of the district website was Somerville School. This DFG was in the FG category. In my opinion there was nothing special about this site at all. It appears that this may have been a recently constructed site that may have used a generic template. This could be the reason for the lack of relevant content. This site had a tab called "Parental Portal" where the parent had to login to an application called "Power School". Authorization is needed to log in. It is my hope that parents are only able to access information about their child only because this application is used by teachers for all student grades and attendance.

I was able to find one district with teachers websites. There wasn't even enough information to evaluate. I clicked through at least 15.

This exercise was very insightful. Ideally, it will be most beneficial if I am designated or asked to help design a site for the school where I will be teaching.

Week 1

I have been involved with technology for 15yrs. It may appear that I am biased with regards to using technology in the classroom. It is my opinion that technology when used properly, can complement the learning process. I have a undergraduate degree in both computer science and mathematics. I have had the opportunity to witness applications for various purposes evolve over the years. I vehemently believe that technology integrated in the classroom is essential for most if not all learning environments.

The most recent advances in technology have made it more palatable and simple to use. Technology plays an integral role in classrooms today. Smart boards, projectors, computers, and calculators are useful tools. Most textbook companies now incorporate material for use with technology. One example, is how some mathematics textbooks illustrate the use of calculators and applications. They also include on-line textbook material, such as additional exercises for supplementing the content as well as computer aided practice test.

It is my goal to familiarize myself with understanding the intricacies of using technology as it continues to evolve. I think technology is essential for any educational environment today.